Banging on the side of police vans with murderers inside

I've just been watching the news about Sian's killer going to court. There was a crowd of about 100 people shouting at the police van and some people ran over and banged on the side of the van.

I was wondering why people do this. It's not something I would ever think of doing, even if I knew the victim. Do they think they will be able to get at the murderer and hurt him? Are they just expressing anger? Do they want people to see them being angry, and if so, do they think this makes them seem a better person?

Sounds like nothing new. I bet they'd be a similar reaction in previous centuries when people were being led to the stocks/gallows. Mind you I'd draw a line at sitting down and having a picnic, apparently watching an execution was considered a day out for some folk.

I don't think I'd be thinking rationally. It'd be totally unlike me to do something like that under normal circumstances but I'd feel sick knowing I was a cm of metal away from the vile, evil man that murdered my friend.

I often wonder when watching these scenes how many of the perpetrators actually knew the victim, and how many are just doing it because they've been whipped up into a frenzy by friends, gossip and the media?

There are murder cases every day in Crown Courts yet we don't see these scenes very often, only in high profile cases.

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